In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Rob Shultz—founder of ‪Smart Rip Society‬—a fast-rising and honest voice in the sports card hobby focused on intentional collecting, self-awareness, and the emotional realities behind modern collecting culture.

Through transparent videos surrounding spending habits, chasing behavior, hobby burnout, sports betting crossover, survivorship bias, and compulsive hobby patterns, Rob has resonated with thousands of collectors looking for a more grounded and realistic perspective within an increasingly hype-driven hobby environment.

What separates Smart Rip Society from traditional hobby content is the balance. The message isn’t anti-hobby, anti-breaking, or anti-collecting. It’s about honesty, moderation, self-awareness, and helping collectors recognize the difference between healthy enjoyment and compulsive behavior.

At a time where so much hobby content revolves around giant hits, profit, comps, flipping, and nonstop hype, Rob has taken a different approach by encouraging collectors to slow down, reconnect with why they collect, and think more critically about the emotional and psychological side of modern hobby culture.

Alyx and Rob discuss survivorship bias, social media algorithms, hobby flex culture, dopamine-driven behavior, and the way modern hobby environments can increasingly blur the line between entertainment, speculation, gambling-adjacent behavior, and compulsive spending.

The conversation dives into breaking culture, emotional chasing, sports betting crossover, hobby burnout, and the psychological impact of nonstop stimulation within livestream selling environments.

Rob also shares his perspective on intentional collecting, slowing down, reconnecting with nostalgia, collecting with purpose, and why some of the most meaningful cards in a collection often have nothing to do with financial value.

They also discuss the current state of the hobby, creator responsibility, the financialization of collecting, hobby sustainability, younger collectors entering the space, and the importance of creating healthier long-term relationships with collecting moving forward.

This episode is about honesty, intentional collecting, emotional self-awareness, hobby culture, and protecting the people participating in the hobby without losing what made collecting meaningful in the first place.

If you’ve ever felt emotionally overwhelmed by the hobby, struggled with compulsive buying or breaking behavior, questioned the direction of modern collecting culture, or simply wanted a more honest conversation about the realities behind the hobby, this is a conversation worth listening to. Because for many collectors, the conversation has never really just been about cardboard.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around awareness, intentional collecting, and building a healthier relationship with the hobby.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Follow Rob & Smart Rip Society:

YT: ‪@SmartRipSociety‬

IG: @smart_rip_society

Help for Problem Gambling: Call or Text 800-GAMBLER

This Episode of The Collector's Compass is sponsored by ‪All Touch Case, a premium display and protection solution designed to showcase your cards while keeping them safe. Use code COLLECTORSMD for 15% of your order. Collect. Protect. It’s a peace of mind.

#CollectorsMD | #SmartRipSociety | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Ty Wilson—founder and host of ‪‪CHASING CARDBOARD‬—one of the fastest-growing and most influential storytelling platforms in the entire sports card hobby.

What started as a creative hobby project quickly evolved into something much bigger. Since launching in 2022, CHASING CARDBOARD has amassed more than 121K YouTube subscribers, over 26 million views, and more than 140 episodes documenting some of the most fascinating collections, collectors, stories, and personalities across the hobby.

What separates CHASING CARDBOARD is that it's never just about the cards—it's about the people behind them. Through visits with collectors across the country, Ty shares deeply personal stories about nostalgia, family, identity, grief, and what collecting truly means.

Alyx and Ty discuss how CHASING CARDBOARD originally started, how the platform exploded in popularity, and why storytelling has become such an important part of modern collecting culture.

They also discuss the emotional side of collecting, why people become attached to cards, and how collections often represent much more than financial assets. Ty shares what he’s learned after hearing deeply personal stories from collectors across the country.

The conversation also explores intentional collecting, hobby pressure, gambling-adjacent behavior, and the increasingly blurred line between passion, business, nostalgia, and compulsion within today’s hobby environment.

Alyx and Ty also discuss one of CHASING CARDBOARD’s most impactful recent episodes featuring Phil—founder of Sealed Wax Nation and supporter of Collectors MD—who sold part of his collection to help fund children’s hospitals and launch his nonprofit organization.

The episode explores how collecting can evolve into something larger than accumulation itself—including charity, meaning, purpose, and community impact.

Ty shares his perspective on the current state of the hobby, the rise of live selling, influencer responsibility, hobby trust, market pressure, and why doing things the right way still matters in an increasingly fast-moving and financially driven environment.

This episode is about storytelling, intentional collecting, hobby culture, human connection, and the emotional realities behind the cards people chase.

If you've ever felt deeply connected to collecting, struggled to find balance, or wondered why the hobby means so much to people, this is a conversation worth listening to. Because behind every collection is usually something much deeper than cardboard.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around awareness, intentional collecting, transparency, and building a healthier relationship with the hobby.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Nonprofit: lohas.org/client/the-cmd-foundation

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Follow Ty & CHASING CARDBOARD:

Website: chasingcardboardtv.com

YT: ‪‪@CHASINGCARDBOARD‬ | ‪@CHASINGTYWILSON‬

X: @BreakerCulture

IG: @chasingtywilson

LI: Tyler B. Wilson

Help for Problem Gambling: Call or Text 800-GAMBLER

This Episode of The Collector's Compass is sponsored by ‪All Touch Case, a premium display and protection solution designed to showcase your cards while keeping them safe. Use code COLLECTORSMD for 15% of your order. Collect. Protect. It’s a peace of mind.

#CollectorsMD | #ChasingCardboard | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Eddie Wittner—Founder and President of C3 Grading—a collector-first grading company built around transparency, accessibility, speed, accuracy, and trust.

At a time when grading has become one of the most powerful infrastructure layers in the hobby, collectors are asking bigger questions about pricing, consistency, market control, upcharges, turnaround times, and the overall direction of the grading industry. With Collectors expanding its grading footprint across PSA, SGC, and Beckett, and with ongoing scrutiny surrounding PSA, the conversation around alternatives has never felt more relevant.

C3 Grading has stepped into that moment by offering a different kind of grading experience. With $9 slabs, no hidden fees, no upcharges, fast turnaround times, dual grading, full subgrades, QR-enabled reports, thoughtful slab design, and a customer-first approach, C3 is building around the collector experience instead of simply following the legacy grading model.

In this conversation, Alyx and Eddie break down how C3 Grading started, what Eddie saw missing from the grading space, and why he wanted to build the kind of company he personally wished existed as a collector.

They also discuss the current state of the grading industry, the impact of consolidation, the frustration many collectors feel with mainstream grading companies, and why independent alternatives have a real opportunity to earn trust by focusing on transparency, consistency, and service.

The conversation also dives into the C3 philosophy, including flat-rate pricing, why upcharges bother Eddie philosophically, the importance of dual grading, full subgrades, fading grades, QR reports, slab design, and creating a submission process that feels simple, accessible, and fair.

Alyx and Eddie also talk about the partnership between C3 Grading and Collectors MD, including C3’s inclusion in The Intentional Collector’s Guide, the CMD affiliate code, and C3’s support of the #RipResponsibly movement through thank-you cards and packaging touchpoints.

At its core, this episode is about grading, trust, transparency, collector advocacy, and what it looks like to build a healthier hobby from the infrastructure up.

If you’ve ever submitted cards, questioned grading fees, felt frustrated by upcharges, or wondered where the grading industry is heading, this is a conversation worth listening to.

Because grading isn’t just about the number on the slab—it’s about trust, transparency, and protecting the collector experience.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around awareness, accountability, transparency, and building a healthier relationship with collecting.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Nonprofit: lohas.org/client/the-cmd-foundation

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Learn More About C3 Grading:

Website: c3grading.com

YT: @C3Grading

IG: @c3grading

FB: C3 Grading

TT: @c3.grading

Use code CMD to grade cards for $8 per card

Help for Problem Gambling: Call or Text 800-GAMBLER

This Episode of The Collector's Compass is sponsored by ‪All Touch Case, a premium display and protection solution designed to showcase your cards while keeping them safe. Use code COLLECTORSMD for 15% of your order. Collect. Protect. It’s a peace of mind.

#CollectorsMD | #TheCMDFoundation | #C3Grading | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly